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It’s Time to Act


February 4, 2014

Often statistics tell a story that spurs us to action. Consider: Only 13% of African-American male 4th graders and 11% of African-American male 8th graders scored at or above proficient on national reading tests; Barely half of all African-American males graduate from high school, and only 5% go to college; Black male teens are eight … Continue reading It’s Time to Act


Joseph Janes

A Cautionary Tale


February 3, 2014

In an alternative universe, I’m a film historian. I got hooked in college, where multiple film society screenings were shown almost nightly for a couple of bucks apiece. Heaven. And among all my genres of interest (terrible 1950s science fiction, cult stuff, noir, silents, splashy MGM musicals, and on and on), there’s a much less-recognized … Continue reading A Cautionary Tale


Karen Muller

Organizing Content



January 23, 2014

Five years ago, ALA’s Presidential Task Force on Library Education specified eight areas of core knowledge for librarians. The third area, titled “Organization of Recorded Knowledge and Information,” details how librarians provide library users access to materials. It defined three specific competences related to recorded knowledge and info: Organization and representation; Developmental, descriptive, and evaluative … Continue reading Organizing Content


Marshall Breeding

Web-Scale Discovery Services



January 14, 2014

Discovery services face complex challenges. For example, to accommodate the concerns of proprietary-content providers, discovery services must differentiate publicly available search results from content offered only to authenticated users. In addition, access to resources must be aligned with each library’s subscription and database selections. Discovery services only allow access to resources that a library is … Continue reading Web-Scale Discovery Services



Fear of Flying


January 8, 2014

Flying to Philly is the only thing I don’t look forward to when it comes to Midwinter. Flying is not pleasant business. The indignity of airport screening, waiting to board an overcrowded plane, jamming my carryon into the overstuffed bins. The sole redeeming feature of air travel is my 15 minutes of quiet reading because … Continue reading Fear of Flying


Keith Michael Fiels

The “Kitchen Table” Conversations and ALA


January 8, 2014

Over the next several years, ALA will be leading a major initiative to help libraries of all types utilize proven community engagement tools and techniques to better understand their communities and to encourage community-based innovations in library service. This effort, which is part of the Association’s strategic goal of assisting in the ongoing transformation of libraries, … Continue reading The “Kitchen Table” Conversations and ALA



Meredith Farkas

Open Access Everything


December 23, 2013

With the growing cost of higher education, declining library budgets, and the crisis in scholarly publishing, it can sometimes be difficult to feel optimistic. Looking at the creative efforts to address these issues through publishing gives me ample hope. Many academic libraries are working to make the scholarly and creative output of their communities widely … Continue reading Open Access Everything



Linda Braun

Moving Beyond Same-Old


December 10, 2013

As I wrote this column, I decided to check my go-to dictionary, the Merriam-Webster, about the definition of “outreach.” It stated: “the extending of services or assistance beyond current or usual limits <an outreach program>; also: the extent of such services or assistance.” Youth services outreach frequently centers on luring young people inside the library … Continue reading Moving Beyond Same-Old


Common Ground



December 9, 2013

There are many benefits to spending one’s life on a college campus: beautiful settings, the rhythm of the academic year, and of course continually being surrounded by bright, energetic students. Each summer they come for orientation, eager, excited, and younger by the year. You too can play the “where were you the year they were … Continue reading Common Ground